By Our Reporter
OYAM
A tragic incident in northern Uganda has left a community in mourning after a young boy perished in a house fire and his mother reportedly took her own life in the aftermath.
According to police in the North Kyoga region, the fatal events unfolded around 3:00 AM on Sunday, June 8, in Wanyo Awenya Tek village, Iceme Sub-County, Oyam District.
The deceased have been identified as Ocen Pius, aged 4, and his mother Akoko Dorcas, 47, a local peasant and housewife.
Initial police findings reveal that Akoko Dorcas had left her two children asleep in their grass-thatched house while she went out to catch white ants. Before leaving, she allegedly lit a candle, which is believed to have ignited dry grass inside the home.
The resulting blaze consumed the structure. While one child, Ageno Juliet, managed to escape, young Ocen Pius was trapped inside and burned to death.
Witnesses say that on returning and discovering the fire, Ms. Dorcas, overcome with grief, fled to a nearby dam and drowned in what authorities are treating as a suicide.
The incident was reported to Iceme Police by Mr. Awal Alex, 56, the Local Council 1 (LC1) Chairperson of the affected village.
Officers from Oyam Central Police Station, accompanied by Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCO), responded swiftly. A postmortem examination was carried out at the scene, and the bodies were handed over to relatives for burial.
Speaking to reporters, Regional Police Spokesperson SP Patrick Jimmy Okema described the incident as “quite unfortunate” and urged communities to be vigilant and supportive in preventing such tragedies.
“People around should have prevented the woman from committing suicide,” SP Okema said, calling for greater community awareness and intervention in moments of crisis.
Police have opened an inquiry into the circumstances leading up to the fire and the apparent suicide.
